December, 2017:

[Heading out of 2017, and wishing you all a happy and safe New Year in 2018. Stay Furry!]

In case you haven’t caught word of it yet: Trollhunters, created by none other than Guillermo Del Toro for Dreamworks TV and Netflix, is coming off a very successful and award-winning year. Now Dark Horse Comics have announced a new full-color tie-in graphic novel. Trollhunters: The Secret History of Trollkind is written by Richard Hamilton and Marc Guggenheim with art by Timothy Green II and Wes Dzioba. “Trollhunters: The Secret History of Trollkind explores Jim’s journey as the first human Trollhunter — defender of good trolls. The secrets of the great troll warriors of the past are crucial tools for the new Trollhunter, and the time has come for Jim to appreciate the battles of Kanjigar the Courageous, who through his own struggles, triumphs, and failures lead the trolls after the Battle of Killahead Bridge through unknown territory, across oceans and continents, and past fearsome foes! With his friends by his side, Jim continues the fight against the Gumm-Gumms and their allies!” SyFy Wire has a detailed article about it. Look for it this February.

“A polar bear falls in love with a seal, but the seal thinks the polar bear is trying to eat it!” You can’t get a much more straight-forward explanation for A Polar Bear In Love — a new black & white manga from the artist Koromo. Now Yen Press have collected Volume 1 into a trade paperback. Long-running cartoon adventures have come from far less…

Well this came out of nowhere… Manosaurs Volume 1: Walk Like A Manosaur is a new full-color graphic novel for kids that’s available now from Papercutz. “Leo ‘the Doc’ Jeffries is down on his luck with his run down Dynamic Dino Display until he unearths a box of bonafide dinosaur eggs! The eggs hatch four talking dinosaurs who rapidly adapt and grow into their new environment… the twenty-first century! Now, Tri, Rex, Ptor, and Pterry must navigate life after extinction and defend their new family from forces of the dreaded Armaggedon who would like to make sure these powerful reptiles stay extinct.” Got that? It’s written by Stefan Petrucha and available in trade paperback or hardcover editions.

Okay, so here’s this: The Disney Animal Journeys Comics Treasury, a new massive (more than 700 pages!) trade paperback from Joe Books. We got this from Previews: “Rumble through the jungle, soar through the sky, and dive into the sea with this giant comic collection of Disney animal stories! Revisiting the adventures of your favorite Disney animals – from timeless Disney Bambi, Disney The Lion King, and Disney•Pixar A Bug’s Life to Disney•Pixar Finding Dory and Disney Zootopia — this treasury will provide hours of entertainment for all ages and species!” It’s available now.

He may have dropped below the cultural radar as of late, but there was a time when Gumby was the superstar of stop-motion animation. Now Dynamite Entertainment have brought together the story of Gumby, his friends, and their truly unique creator, Art Clokey.Gumby Imagined: The Story of Art Clokey and His Creations is a new 300-page hardcover book compiled by Art’s son Joe Clokey and daughter-in-law Joan Rock Clokey. “Clay animated superstar Gumby has made an indelible impact on our culture and continues to enchant and entertain generations. Filmmaker Art Clokey’s personal story is one of mystical adventure, tragedy, triumph, art, and most of all, love. This lavish career-spanning retrospective explores the legendary creator’s life and complete works. All of his many creations, including Gumby and Davey & Goliath, are interwoven with a rich tapestry of rare photos and stories — the ingredients for a fascinating tale.” It’s available now from Dynamite, Amazon, and elsewhere.

Thanks to Animation World Network we found out about Manivald, a new animated short film by Estonian director Chintis Lundgren. It’s been making quite a stir at international animation festivals. Here’s what they say: “Manivald, in the same vein of Lundgren’s previous work, is both absurdist drama and social satire. The eponymous fox, an academic drowning in various degrees, is unemployed and depends on his controlling mother for his livelihood. Manivald is a character the young and educated may find all too relate-able. The tense mother-son relationship is pushed to a breaking point when both Manivald and his mother fall for handyman Toomas, a handsome wolf with pecs and abs to spare. The ensuing conflict is the final nudge Manivald needs to leave home and start a life of his own.” Next up is a presentation at the Sundance Film Festival.

Sorry, sorry… too obvious. Thanks to some friends on Facebook, we stumbled across an upcoming fantasy film called Hanson and the Beast — from China, no less. Drama Panda has a preview. The story goes like this: “Yuan Shuai (Feng Shaofeng) is a a man who is drowning in debt. In order to pay up, he goes on blind dates with daughters from wealthy families but ends up falling in love with Bai Xian Chu (Crystal Liu), a fox demon who’s come to the human realm to repay a debt. However, relationships between humans and demons are strictly forbidden. Bai Xian Chu is dragged back to the demon world and Yuan Shuai sets out to rescue her.” So who’s Hanson? We don’t know yet. Written and directed by Xiao Yang,Hanson comes to theaters in China right at the end of December, then everywhere else on January 5th. Check out the trailer on YouTube as well.

And the great comic book crossover festival continues: Kong on the Planet of the Apes. What more can we say? Well this is how Boom! Studios has it: “Following the events of the first Planet of the Apes film (1968), Dr. Zaius and General Ursus lead a small group of soldiers to the Forbidden Zone to destroy any remaining evidence of Taylor’s time among them. To their surprise, they discover… A Kong! Now they must venture to Skull Island with Cornelius and Zira to discover the truth, but they may not survive the deadliest journey of their lives!” Written by Ryan Ferrier and illustrated by Carlos Magno (with a cover by Mike Huddleston), this 6-issue full-color mini-series just hit the shelves this month. Empire Online has an interview with Mr. Ferrier about the whole thing.

Do you recall the Hanazuki cartoon short that ran in front of My Little Pony — The Movie this last summer? It was based on a popular on-line animated series created by Titmouse. Well now IDW Publishing have gotten into the act, bringing out a new Hanazuki: Full Of Treasures full-color comic book series. “Based on the hit animated series, Hanazuki the Moonflower comes to life in this hilarious, action-packed origin tale.See her first encounter with the lovable, pet-able (and only sometimes sassy) Hemkas! Watch her grow her first treasure trees! Witness her run ‘afowl’ of the Chicken-Plant! Enjoy as Hanazuki learns how to harness her emotions to affect real change and save her moon from the forces of darkness!” Got all that? Look for it before the end of December.